Large Ceramic Bull

I hope the picture is ok. Been a while since my last visit. I picked up this Bull today purely because it caught my eye (not literally) I cant find any marks or anything similar online apart from a picture of a Minoan Bull !(I would be happy with a find like that) It is 44cm long and 21cm in height. It is hollow and quite light at just under 1kg. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

I would say bison by the look of his head and a very lovely bison at that

It does have a look of a Bison. The darker colours across the shoulders could be the hair/mane on bison. It is a stunning bit of pottery. Would anyone have a guess at age. It has an abstract look about it but as I said it could be a tourist piece (I hope not) Bitossi came to mind when I saw it but I was way off. I did find a very large Bitossi Ferrari ashtray ten minutes later though.

I suspect it would be impossible to guess the age just from the pic, pieces like this were made in the 50's and are still made today

are there no marks on the base of any of the hoofs?

wild guess from me, Haeger Pottery, US, not all pieces were marked, some just had stickers

my eyes are burning just trying to search for this fella !! I thought 50's but will wait and see what we get to later. Thanks all.

The glaze looks a little like Bertoncello glazes and Roberto Rigon did some similar animals

The Glazes are very similar. There are red felt pads on the feet of mine. I will lift them to see if there is a mark. Still no luck tracing him but at least Im getting closer to finding out. One of the animals (elephant) holds a similar stance. Would be nice if it is RR. Keep the ideas coming and I will search some more tomorrow

Ive only knocked a bleedin tip off his horn !!! Two choices 1: Glue back on 2: paint end of broken horn cream and say its a bad tempered bull that broke a horn

if it's a clean break you wont even notice

Any tips on which glue is best for pottery ?? I cant use superglue as I seem to turn into a 3yr old, every time I touch the stuff I glue everything but the item I'm supposed to !
Just a thought but are these types of pottery made in a similar way to easter eggs. A mould that is rotated to coat the inside ?? It seems to me it is as fragile as an easter egg. How did it survive unscathed until it met me.

May be worth having it restored.There's a place in Darlington who can give you a quote....
http://www.nicholsonantiquerestoration.com/

I would use superglue, but i hear "Slo Gap" is better if you want to be able to take you time to make sure you get it right first time.

I would advise against superglue unless the break is very simply aligned

The color looks kind of similar to some of those Howard Pierce birds.

I looked at H Pierce and the colours on 2 bears seem to be the same. I havent lifted the felt so no idea yet if there is a sig. I have repaired the Horn and unless you look very close you wont see it. Still not seen anything like this bull yet. Thanks for the ideas all.

I think I will just list this piece and see where the hammer falls. Its too big to put anywhere in my place so hope it gets a nice home. If anyone does find the answer please let me know. Thanks. Pete

You might not find a Howard Pierce label if you peel the velvet off the bottom because I have owed some unmarked HP pieces in the past. I also notice that on eBay the bull is one of the most coveted animals in midcentury modern design as far as sculptures and figurines are concerned, especially when they are very stylized and decorative like yours. I have a feeling that yours will fetch for a decent amount because it seems like it is a relatively rare piece. I also think that it might be worth it to peel off the velvet just to see if it's signed, I don't think the absence of the felt is going to change the value in any way.

I have a number of watchers on the bull. I have already packed it. I dont envy the winner unwrapping this Its seems so fragile I have covered every inch in cardboard and wrapped 10m of packaging around before putting it in a custom made (otherwise known as recycled) box. I would hate to see it broken. Im hoping my low start doesnt get sniped. Cant get a bidding war going in the last few seconds ! Thanks again for all the help guys. Pete

I wouldn't take too much notice in the amount of watchers you have as in my experience, and on a regular basis, they arn't always potential bidders, I have had many items that looked as though they would sell well and didn't :(

Very true. I have had 12 watchers on one piece and it didnt sell. Ebay is a strange place. I hate sniping when selling but not averse to using it when buying. As a rule I double what I paid and add a pound and am happy to get that and let it build up. It keeps me off the streets and if someone loves the piece they buy then Im happy. Recycling for pocket money !

my theory is they watch the listings to see what theirs are worth

yep they do indeedy Dan, cus I do that sometimes too certainly on pieces of my glass collection

Me too. I have over a hundred on my watch list and only bid on two or three. Sorry sellers.